Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Bed

Since we’re in our bed every day, month after month, year after year, it’s hard to recognize when it has deteriorated to the point that it requires replacement. An old mattress may seem comfortable because your body has adjusted to its slow deterioration. Compared side-by-side to a new bed, however, it would feel awful. Unfortunately, such comparisons aren’t the easiest thing to conduct, so here are a few tips for identifying when it’s time to replace your bed:

• It’s uncomfortable. This is by far the biggest sign that you need to replace a mattress, but once you realize it’s uncomfortable, it’s also too late. Waking up every day sore or stiff and feeling tired at work all day can be a signal that your mattress is lacking the comfort and structural support that soft mattress pads can’t remedy. Sleep should be refreshing and invigorating, and if you wake up feeling differently, your bed may be to blame.

• It’s old. Like many consumer products, mattresses have a life span. Whether it’s a foam bed, waterbed or conventional mattress, they will all eventually wear out. At a certain point, it’s time to replace your bed due to wear and tear and because of the potential allergens it has collected over the years. A smart rule of thumb is to replace your mattress every seven years. Of course, some may last longer and some may fail sooner, but right around seven years is a good time to take a critical look and decide if it still has a little life left, or if it’s DOA.

• Allergies. As mentioned, mattresses can become a holding area of potential allergies from mold and mildew, to dust mites. These can prevent you from falling asleep or give you restless sleep. That reduction in quality rest means you have less energy during the day, and eventually, you can start to see a decline in your overall health. Some products, like a polyurethane foam mattress or a custom boat mattress, are better at resisting the infiltration of irritants, but making sure you aren’t allergic to the materials used in the mattress’ physical construction itself is vital as well.